Strategic Program Manager

JOB SUMMARY:

Implementation & Training Services helps new and existing customers successfully onboard and launch with D2L products. We prioritize partnering with our customers, by adopting a consultative approach. 

As a Strategic Program Manager, you will bring your expertise and experience to support the client’s digital transformation. You are responsible for the planning and successful execution of complex projects and programs.  You will help define and setup program governance and support all Steering Committee conversations. You will help coordinate the communication, resources and efforts required to support clients with multiple complex workstreams. Strategic Program Managers need to be looking at the larger picture and is able to help the customer define and articulate a program’s strategy and objectives and assesses how it will impact a business.  The Strategic Program Manager needs to have a good balance of understanding D2L's needs and the customer's needs.  Being a trustful partner and the client's primary point of contact, you will work closely with Sales, to discover and understand the client vision; lead the implementation team through the client onboarding process including installation and customizations; and support the transition to the account management team by providing oversight of targeted consulting, customizations, and post-implementation projects. You may also be involved in assisting product customization, product roadmap planners, and forecasting needs for strategic clients.   Travel may be required. 

The role has responsibilities that traverse a broad spectrum of project, business, and technical accountability including: program management, requirements facilitation, business analysis, change management, communications, and solution implementation. 

 HOW WILL I MAKE AN IMPACT

• Program management: 
  • Understands the client high level vision, goals, objectives, and success criteria and communicates that client vision to appropriate groups throughout the client life cycle   
  • Work with the client to solidify the scope of the engagement and ensure there are proper boundaries in place to limit scope creep 
  • Help client understand all of the workstreams that need to be considered when going through transformational change  
  • Help clients build out change management and communication plans to support the roll out 
  • Assist client to build out a proper governance plan to support the full roll out and beyond 
  • Assist the client in building out a controlled launch plan taking into consideration all of their business needs, validation requirements and competing priorities to ensure a smooth successful launch 
  • Synchronizes client expectations and D2L product and service capabilities as both the client vision and product evolve   
  • Coordinates external and internal communication to decrease duplication or misapplication of effort and increase alignment of internal resources and client vision    
  • Resolution of issues within the program and, where necessary, the escalation of issues to senior management   
  • Management of partner projects (as applicable)   
  • Ensures maximum efficiency in the allocation of resources and supports internal planning of personnel and resource needs    
  • Proactively monitors client success metrics and provides strategic advice for planning future projects   
  • Develops and manages all program documentation; obtains appropriate client and D2L approvals and sign-offs   
  • Determines, monitors and reviews all project economics to include costs, operational budgets, staffing requirements, resources, and risk   
  • Develops project control and reporting procedures and manages changes in operational plan   
  • Coaches and advises team members to accomplish project goals, to meet established schedules, and resolve technical/operational issues   
  • Conducts post project reviews and provides client reporting and internal feedback for continuous improvement     
  • Report progress to senior management both internally and externally 
• Client relationship management: 
  • Contribute to and participate in strategic account planning with client, account management, and other stakeholders 
  • Promote a partnership relationship by listening to client product advice; supporting client research; and, maintaining frequent communication and collaboration 
• Internal knowledge and process improvement: 
  • Functions as a leader for other project managers by mentoring and assisting in analyzing client’s business requirements to deliver a successful implementation and internal processes.  
  • Keep client and process documentation up to date 
  • Promote knowledge sharing within the company 
  • Partner with colleagues from other departments to ensure that our key program objectives are met  
  • Contribute to internal improvement initiatives as required 
  • Keep up to date with D2L and partner products and processes 
  • Keep up to date with new technology trends to help facilitate client learning solutions 
  • Participate in other billable and non-billable responsibilities as required 

Please Note: This is a client billable role. This means that each week you will be required to fill out a timesheet for time spent against each client engagement as well as time spent on internal initiatives. The majority of your time will be spent on customer work.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING TO THE ROLE:

Competencies

• Excellent oral and written communication skills to express ideas and information clearly, concisely, and effectively, adapting communication style to suit different audiences and can convey complex concepts in a straightforward manner 
• Ability to instill confidence and influence customers decisions in a consultative manner as a trusted advisor 
• Outstanding organizational skills in order to manage multiple priorities and establishes timeframes and resources that are reasonable and attainable 
• Strong analytical and problem-solving to track record of identifying issues, gathering relevant information, and employing critical thinking to propose effective solutions 
• Ability to deal with ambiguity  
• Ability to switch between tasks seamlessly, prioritize effectively, and meet deadlines consistently 
• Ability to share their expertise and knowledge effectively, providing constructive feedback and personalized guidance to team member 
• Capability to establish and sustain executive-level relationships, fostering strong connections with key stakeholders 

Skills

• Strong knowledge of the practices, procedures and foundation of project management, with the ability to handle many small projects at one time or a few medium-sized concurrent projects  
• Proven ability to establish strategic outcomes and measurements   
• Proven ability to build and maintain relationships at the executive level  
• Hands-on experience in data analysis and the ability to create both statistical and narrative reports for presentation purposes 
• Competency in the use of the MS Office suite of tools  

Work Experience   

• Minimum 8 years’ experience Professional Services project management, including delivering client software implementations throughout the end-to-end project lifecycle 
• Successfully executed on large scale implementation projects 

Education 

• Bachelor’s degree in either Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Business, or a related discipline 
• MBA or related graduate degree preferred 
• PMP or PgMP is an asset 
• Change Management an asset